Importance of early treatment decisions on future income of multiple sclerosis patients

BACKGROUND: Early initiation of disease-modifying treatment (DMT) is associated with better disability outcomes in multiple sclerosis (MS). However, little is known of how treatment decisions affect socio-economic outcomes. OBJECTIVE: To estimate the long-term impact of early initiation of DMT on the income of MS patients. METHODS: In total, 3610 MS patients were included in this register-based cohort study. We measured the association between the time to treatment and the outcome, defined as time from treatment initiation to a 95% decrease in annual earnings compared to each patient´s baseline level. Additionally, the association between time to treatment and increase of social benefits (sickness absence, disability pension) was investigated. A Cox model was adjusted for sex, onset age, education, family situation, country of birth, living area, and disability. RESULTS: MS patients initiating treatment later had a higher risk of reaching the outcome- those who started treatment after 2 years from MS onset lost 95% of their earnings sooner (HR, 1.19; 95% CI, 1.04–1.37). Furthermore, risk to receive an annual compensation of SEK 100,000 (≈EUR 10,500) was higher for the delayed treatment group. CONCLUSION: Early treatment initiation in MS is associated with better socioeconomic outcome, adding to previous studies showing benefits regarding disability.